C Overtone Guitar Scale

6-string guitar  ·  = Lydian dominant  ·  7 notes  ·  major family

Notes

C
D
E
F♯
G
A
B♭

Solfège : Do – Ré – Mi – Fa♯ – Sol – La – Si♭

Interval Structure

C T D T E T F♯ ½T G T A ½T B♭ C+oct. T

Scale Chords (triads)

DegreeChord (in C)Quality
I C Major
II D Major
iii° diminished
iv° F♯° diminished
v Gm minor
vi Am minor
VII+ B♭+ augmented

About this scale

The overtone scale (identical to Lydian dominant) reflects the natural harmonic series. On guitar, it sounds magnificent over V7#11 chords and tritone substitutions. Béla Bartók theorized it and jazz-fusion guitarists (John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth) exploit it for its unique colors.

See fretboard positions for C Overtone on guitar in the interactive app.

Explore in ScalaBass →

Same scale in other keys